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Taliban leader: No peace without foreigners leaving

In statement, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada says ending "occupation" is a prerequisite for peace in Afghanistan.

02 Jul 2016 14:10 GMT

Akhundzada replaced Mansour, who was killed in a US drone strike [Reuters]

The new Taliban leader has called for an end to the foreign "occupation" of Afghanistan as a first step to a settlement based on Islamic law that he said would bring unity to a country hit by decades of war.

In one of his first public statements, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada said agreement was possible if the government in Kabul renounced its foreign allies.

"Your support and siding with invaders is like the work of those abhorrent faces who in our past history supported the Britons and the Soviets," he said in a message before next week's celebration of Eid.

Akhundzada was named Taliban leader after the death of his predecessor Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour in a US drone strike in May.

'Doors of forgiveness'

He said the Taliban had a programme aimed at creating an independent and united country under Islamic law and told the Western-backed government in Kabul that "the doors of forgiveness and tolerance are open".

"Our clear message is that we do not want a monopoly of power," he said.

"All Afghan tribes and races need each other."

The statement came two days after a suicide attack that killed more than 30 newly graduated police cadets, and less than two weeks after more than 20 people died in separate attacks in Kabul and the northern province of Badakhshan.